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Consciousness > Problem 3 > Flashcards

Problem 3 Flashcards

1
Q

Introspection

A

Refers to looking into ones own mind + observing its contents

–> observing your conscious experience

AND: best method

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2
Q

Name the things that Introspection is NOT.

A

Introspection is not

  1. equivalent to having conscious experiences
    - -> attempts to describe it but most of it is fleeting + immediately forgotten
  2. a sensory process (Homunculus fallacy)
    - -> no sensory modalities, but just verbal thinking
  3. a brain scanner
    - -> conscious experience + neurophysiological observations are 2 different perspectives (objective vs subjective)
  4. the making of inferences about our mental states based on our overt behavior
  5. direct inner observation
    - -> this is impossible, just like you cant see your own eye
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3
Q

Name the things that consciousness IS.

A
  1. Active self-observation
    - -> reflective consciousness
  2. Passive inner-observation
    - -> primary consciousness
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4
Q

Name the types of Introspection.

A
  1. Analytic
  2. Descriptive/ Phenomenal
  3. Interpretive
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5
Q

Analytic Introspection

A

Describes experiences in term of elementary constituents

ex.: table= rectangle with edges, can result in stimulus error

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6
Q

Descriptive introspection

A

Describing ones experience in terms of natural language

e.g.: asking oneself what one feels, thinks, perceive

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7
Q

Interpretive Introspection

A

Asking oneself why on feels these things

e.g.: trying to identify antecedents of thoughts, feelings, actions

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8
Q

Introspective verbal report

IVR

A

Refers to the verbal description of the conscious experience

–> no attempt to interpret or analyze + used in all research on consciousness

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9
Q

Name the limitations to the IVR.

A
  1. Forgetting
  2. Reconstruction errors
  3. Verbal Deskription difficulties
  4. Distortion through observation
  5. Censorship
  6. Experimental demands
  7. Lack of Independent verification
  8. Subsitiutiaon of inferences for observations
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10
Q

How is forgetting a limitation to the IVR ?

A
  1. One can only report conscious contents when info is still available in STM
  2. Verbal reports will be inaccurate when

a) info wasn’t transferred to LTM
b) info cannot be retrieved form LTM

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11
Q

How are reconstruction errors a limitation the IVR ?

A

One may report more than actually recalls by filling in the blanks with plausible fabrications

–> report may be more orderly than was was recalled

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12
Q

How are verbal description difficulties a limitation to IVR ?

A

Being unable to describe in own words

–> some words might have different meanings to different people

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13
Q

How is distortion through observation a limitation to IVR ?

A
  1. Heisenberg uncertainty principle
  2. Introspective uncertainty principle

THUS: when trying to introspect while resolving a difficult problem one may try to store more details than usual, causing the thought process to go slower

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14
Q

Heisenberg uncertainty principle

A

Occurs when the process of observation alters the object of observation

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15
Q

Introspective uncertainty principle

A

Occurs when attempting to introspect, which in turn may change the contents that are being observed

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16
Q

How is censorship a limitation to the IVR ?

A

Subjects may be reluctant to reveal embarrassing thoughts

–> may give false reports or claim they do not recall anything

17
Q

How are a lack of independent verification a limitation to the IVR ?

A

One is unable to check the accuracy of the report

–> major reason why it is rejected as a scientific method

18
Q

How is the substitution of inferences for observations a limitation to the IVR ?

A

When people do not have direct introspective access to the stimuli or mental processes that caused their feelings or behavior, they may make plausible inferences, using whatever information is available

e.g.: eating rapidly –> saying because hungry but actually just a habit

19
Q

How could one overcome the limitations of the IVR ?

A
  1. Collecting data within few seconds of the experience
  2. Training to use special vocabulary
  3. Minimising distortion by asking for retrospective reports
  4. Asking for the general nature of experiences not detail, so no censorship
20
Q

Name the methods for obtaining IVRs.

A
  1. Thinking out loud
    - -> continuous verbal report while solving the task
  2. Thought sampling
    - -> report, when a signal is given
  3. Retrospective reports
  4. Event recording
  5. Diaries
  6. Group questionnaires
21
Q

Advantages vs disadvantages of thinking out loud.

A
  1. A lot of detailed info about a stream of consciousness, w/o forgetting
  2. Introspection + report may alter thought process
22
Q

Advantages vs disadvantages of thought sampling.

A
  1. Less distortion about the normal progression of thoughts, no forgetting
  2. Not as much detail
23
Q

Advantages vs disadvantages of retrospective reports

A
  1. Does not interfere with ongoing thought process
  2. a) forgetting
    b) reconstruction errors
    c) substituting inferences from observation
24
Q

Advantages vs disadvantages of event recording

A
  1. Trace changes in the frequency + little forgetting
  2. Sometimes forget to report pertinent thought
    - -> decrease after adaptation period
25
Q

Advantages vs disadvantages of diaries

A
  1. a) Useful info about someone over a long period of time
    b) Open-endedness allows researchers to see the range of possible conscious experiences
  2. a) Very selective of what is reported
    b) unsystematic
    c) forgetting
    d) reconstruction errors
    e) uncontrolled conditions
26
Q

Advantages vs disadvantages of group questionnaires

A
  1. Good for comparing groups of people in respect to frequencies
  2. a) Forgetting
    b) closed questions, thus no chance for discovery
27
Q

How can one figure out the NCC of conscious visual awareness ?

A

By contrasting NC of stimulus processing WITH awareness with NC of stimulus procession WITHOUT awareness

–> it should unambiguously dissociate awareness from unawareness in everyday visual experiences

28
Q

Visual backward masking

Strategy

A

Refers to a brief target stimulus, followed shortly thereafter by a mask

29
Q

Visual crowding

Strategy

A

A normally visible figure will be unrecognizable when surrounded by other nearby stimuli

ex.: finding waldo

30
Q

Bistable perception

Strategy

A

Involve ambiguous figures

–> fluctuations in perceptions despite unchanging visual stimulation

ex.: vase vs faces

31
Q

Binocular rivalry

Strategy

A

Presenting dissimilar monocular patterns to corresponding areas of the 2 eyes

–> this produces patent fluctuations in visual awareness

32
Q

Motion-induced blindness

Strateg

A

Refers to a small object embedded in a larger optic field

–> object will disappear from awareness for several seconds at a time

33
Q

Inattentional + change blindness

Strategy

A
  1. When engaged in a demanding task, observers may fail to detect a salient but unexpected stimulus
  2. When viewing 2 successive pictures separated by a blank interval, observers may fail to notice a change in the picture
34
Q

Attentional blink

Strategy

A

When required for 2 or more visual targets within a rapidly presented sequence of items, observers are likely to miss the second target when it closely follows the first

35
Q

What is the difference between intro vs retrospection ?

A

Retrospection is reflective introspection

–> introspection is retrospection, but retrospection does not necessarily have to be introspection

36
Q

Ordinary verbal responses

A

Refer to responses to the primary cognitive task of an experiment

–> target of interest is how accurately subjects process info

37
Q

Why is the data obtained with IVR highly controversial ?

A

Because, they are

  1. inaccurate + unreliable
  2. sometimes thought to be unimportant
38
Q

Homunculus fallacy

A

Refers to the belief that there is a little person sitting inside our brain that observes our conscious experience + then reports it

39
Q

The data available for introspections are limited by 3 things.

Name them.

A
  1. Incomplete storage
    - -> experiences are selectively stored
  2. Incomplete retrieval
    - -> not all info can be retrieved
  3. Distortions
    - -> when trying to reconstruct the experiences

Consciousness (9 decks)

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